“Did you ever see anybody very like the prisoner?”

Not so like (the witness said) as that he could be mistaken.

“Look well upon that gentleman, my learned friend there,”

pointing to him who had tossed the paper over, “and then look

well upon the prisoner. How say you? Are they very like each

other?”

Allowing for my learned friend’s appearance being careless and

slovenly if not debauched, they were sufficiently like each other to

surprise, not only the witness, but everybody present, when they

were thus brought into comparison. My Lord being prayed to bid

my learned friend lay aside his wig, and giving no very gracious

consent, the likeness became much more remarkable. My Lord

inquired of Mr. Stryver (the prisoner’s counsel), whether they

were next to try Mr. Carton (name of my learned friend) for

treason? But, Mr. Stryver replied to my Lord, no; but he would

ask the witness to tell him whether what happened once, might

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happen twice; whether he would have been so confident if he had

seen this illustration of his rashness sooner, whether he would be

so confident, having seen it; and more. The upshot of which, was,

to smash this witness like a crockery vessel, and shiver his part of

the case to useless lumber.

Mr. Cruncher had by this time taken quite a lunch of rust off his

fingers in his following of the evidence. He had now to attend

while Mr. Stryver fitted the prisoner’s case on the jury, like a

compact suit of clothes; showing them how the patriot, Barsad,

was a hired spy and traitor, an unblushing trafficker in blood, and

one of the greatest scoundrels upon earth since accursed Judas

which he certainly did look rather like. How the virtuous servant,

Cly, was his friend and partner, and was worthy to be; how, the

watchful eyes of those forgers and false swearers had rested on the

prisoner as a victim, because some family affairs in France, he

being of French extraction, did require him making those

passages across the Channelthough what those affairs were, a

consideration for others who were near and dear to him, forbade

him, even for his life, to disclose. How the evidence that had been

warped and wrested from the young lady, whose anguish in giving

it they had witnessed, came to nothing, involving the mere little

innocent gallantries and politeness likely to pass between any

young gentleman and young lady so thrown together;with the

exception of that reference to George Washington, which was

altogether too extravagant and impossible to be regarded in any

other light than as a monstrous joke. How it would be a weakness

in the government to break down in this attempt to practise for

popularity on the lowest national antipathies and fears, and

therefore Mr. Attorney-General had made the most of it; how,

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nevertheless, it rested upon nothing, save that vile and infamous

character of evidence too often disfiguring such cases, and of

which the State Trials of this country were full. But, there my